Related
Summary
Despite its utopian view , the universe ofStar Trekis home to some of the mortal and most knock-down weapons in pop refinement - includingthe breathtaking superpower of the Heart of God- described by Mister Spock as"potentially the most powerful weapons system ever devised . “It ’s a disgraceful claim , made all the more surprising by the fact that it was literally the first discovery the crew of theEnterprisemade on their original five - year missions .
The Heart of God can rein fundamentally limitless energy and project it anywhere , leaving a sinister hole in the wake of the explosion .
The Heart of God was the bailiwick of the firstandfinal missions of Kirk ’s originalEnterprisetenure , and was discovered on Archernar IV . A enthralling sci - fi premiss , Archernar IV is an artificial world that is later on expose to be a dimensional ship- traveling between realities as theEnterprisedoes planets . By the time of the original series , its bunch are long drained , and the insect who originally exist on the ' satellite ' have evolve into a human - stratum species with whichStarfleet novice first contact .

However , while the dirt ball specie on the major planet are comparatively new , they have accession to super - advanced technology left behind by the ship ’s detergent builder . This includes a weapon they call"the Heart of God”- one which can rule fundamentally limitless energy and project it anywhere at the get-up-and-go of a push . Not only does this grow a destructive blast , butthe outburst of energy creates a black hole in its Wake Island . The engineering also leave the entire planet to move instantly to any status in the universe . This technology makes Archernar IV a major tactical asset to every faction conceivable , and a thorny problem for Kirk . Fans witness his solution inStar Trek : Mission ’s Endfrom Ty Templeton , Stephen Molnar , John Hunt , and Neil Uyetake .
Related : Without Captain Kirk , Worf Would Have Become One of Star Trek ’s Darkest villain
Star Trek Finished the Enterprise’s Five-Year Mission
While the Original Series Was Canceled, Tie-In Stories Filled the Gap
While the original serial publication documented afive - year explorative missionary post by Captain Kirk ’s crew- going"where no man has pass away before"- the tv set series itself only documented three in - universe years before being scratch . Thankfully , the stay two years of the ocean trip were chronicle in late tie - in media , especially comics . Star Trek : Mission ’s Enddepicts the last mission of Kirk ’s gang , include his ascension to admiral , and both Spock and Doctor McCoy leave Starfleet . Indeed , these conclusion are made thanks to the issue on Archernar IV , which it turns out was also thefirstplanet visited by theEnterprise .
If relations break down , Starfleet intends to enact ordering 24 - the wipeout of all life on the planet .
Star Trek’s Heart of God Could Attack Anywhere in the Universe
The Enterprise’s Five-Year Mission Begins and Ends in the Same Place
During theEnterprise ’s initial visit , Kirk give diplomatical effort to endear Starfleet to the wanderer - like citizen of Archernar IV . Despite the spider still cohere to fierce traditions like honor duels , Starfleet extend an offer of membership to the world , eager that no - one else gain control of the Heart of God . Indeed , the arm is so all - powerful that if coition break down , Starfleet intend to enact ordering 24 - the wipeout of all life on the major planet . Thankfully , arrangements pass on well , to the power point that when theEnterprisereaches the end of its five - class journey , Kirk ’s crew return to Archernar IV to celebrate its induction into Starfleet .
deplorably , that ’s when thing go wrong - Johnny on Archernar IV fight to keep the major planet independent , Orion pirates seek the technology for themselves , and a species of centipede - like animals on the planet are revealed to be of human - level news , having been rapidly evolved by law of proximity to the Heart of God technology , forcing a raft of Starfleet regulation to come into upshot when they go to state of war with the spiders .
Thankfully , the mission comes to a satisfactory close - the crew aid unite the spider and centipedes as one , andadjustments made to the Heart of God reveal its true purpose - not as a weapon , but as the engine that allow the ' satellite ' to jump between dimensions . Archernar IV move on to a Modern dimension , and the Heart of God ceases to be a menace .

Star Trek’s Ultimate Weapon Was Actually a Ship
The Enterprise’s Final Mission Brings Back the Franchise’s Biggest Conflicts
It ’s a perfectlyStar Trekidea that a godlike weapon turn out to in reality be an engine , and it ’s unbelievably satisfying to see Kirk , Bones and Spock take on a mission which demand the full five years to amply play out . Indeed , their first and last destination stop up being incredibly influential , changing the course of each of the main characters ' life . Due to the unrest and internecine difference of opinion that Starfleet brought to Archernar IV by pop the question membership before they were culturally ready , Kirk decides he can do more estimable as an full admiral , manoeuver off such hasty decisions rather than fixing them once they dispatch crisis full stop .
While it may feel too coincidental that this last mission is so decisive for the original bunch , that ’s not how the comic reads .
Meanwhile Bones - who learn some of the centipede aliens ' ism while treating their hurt - quits Starfleet because he does n’t owe the organization his sprightliness , and does n’t entrust any maitre d’hotel other than Kirk to keep wreak him home alive . Instead of signing up with a raw crew , McCoy seeks out his estranged daughter . Finally , Spock is overcome with guilt after it turn out his evoke design to abandon the planet was n’t necessary , and would have cost needless lives , shake up his sense of identity and logical system - he returns to Vulcan to barf himself of these unwanted emotions .

Star Trek Makes Kirk’s Last Mission Matter
Kirk, McCoy & Spock Stay True to Their Natures
While it may feel too coincidental that this last mission is so decisive for the original crew , that ’s not how the comic reads . As the planet that began and ended theEnterprise ’s journeying , Archernar IV and the Heart of God serve to wreak many ofStar Trek ’s themes and core character journeystogether . The commission visualize Kirk fighting to figure out a humanist solution within the strictures of a blemished bureaucracy , McCoy choose to heal others in the grimace of factionalism and immense personal peril , and Spock exemplify both the benefits and terminal point of everlasting logic .
None of their decisions at the end of the mission feel like only a direct reaction to Archernar IV and the Heart of God , but rather that - with the end of the commission nearing - the future is on each of their minds , and the lessons they ’ve learned again and again are especially insistent .
Even with theanimatedStar Trekin 1973and the subsequent motion moving picture that extend the tarradiddle , Star Trekalways merit to see out its original five - year mission as reliably as potential . The comics do an admirable job of concluding theEnterprise ’s journeying with the variety of thorny moral and logical teaser that the original serial made such a pillar of the franchise . It took five long time for Spock , McCoy , and Captain Kirk to untangle the knot that resulted from discovering the world ’s most hefty weapon , butStar Trek : Mission ’s Endmanages to make that vast canvas feel needed , and practice the taradiddle to give the original series a sense of internal closure it luxuriously merit .

